Standardized testing is a very important issue that educators, parents, and student's must have an understanding of. I am interested in this research question because children are our future. We must educate them in the best possible manor so the future of our nation is better than it is today. Student's are in school for at least 16 to 18 years of their lives, so its necessary for them to learn things that they will need for the rest of their lives. I grew up with the value of education. I learned at a young age that I had to do well in school to succeed in life. Therefore, when I was graded below average on the NJASK, a New Jersey standardized test that tested elementary to middle school children, I thought I had failed at school. In turn, this made me do worse in class because I thought I was below average then everyone else. I am quailed to write about this because I am an early childhood education major who has researched this topic intensively. I believe standardized testing is culturally biased and causes an abundance of stress on children. 

To better understand standardized testing, we must take a closer look at one of the Acts that changed American education. In No Child Left Behind, Bush starts off by discussing how education affects everyone in our nation; therefore, its important to educate all of our youth so many other successes will follow throughout our country. He backs up his thoughts with the percentage of children who are getting left behind and the need of federal involvement. The four pillars of NCLB are stronger accountability for results, more freedom for states and communities, proven education methods, and more choices for parents. President Bush would be considered credible because he is a man of power being the president of the United States. However, Bush has never worked in a school, so he is not credible on the topic of educating children. His bias would be that he wants federal involvement in education because he is a politician and wants to make laws revolving the education of children. He also wanted to be known as the "education president." 

Many Children Left Behind is a collection of essays from many educators'. Woods criticizes No Child Left Behind due to the rise of High-stakes testing, also known as standardized testing. These tests are used to check the performance of schools, teachers, and students. However, there is no evidence that these tests are beneficial to student's development. Woods has worked in the education field for 30+ years and has written a few books about education; therefore, he is credible on the topic. This book is a collection of essays, therefore there are many authors. Another author is Meir, who is considered credible because she is one of the most acclaimed leaders of the school reform movement. As an education major, I have read and agreed with many of her works. 

Kohn begins by using a metaphor to show how testing has increased in schools at an

abundance. Then, he goes into some of the facts associated with standardized testing. All the

facts have in common that standardized testing is bad. He states that children in our nation are

getting tested to a crazy extent and these tests are used as important decisions. In addition,

some schools are eliminating programs (recess) so they have more time to study for these tests.

In turn, many educators are leaving or not wanting to enter the field due to testing. Moreover,

children from low income families are getting left behind due to less resources and biased tests.

The research question is arguable because "to what extent" questions leaves room for more information and the other side of the debate. In addition, everyone is familiar and is affected by standardized testing so the audience is broad. NCLB is an informational article so it displays current facts and what the law hopes to accomplish. Woods and Kohn both agree that standardized testing children is wrong. I think I might need to make my research question more specific.  
